Meant To Be
by RAWRxIMAxDINOSAUR
Summary: SEQUEL TO BREAKING THE SIRE BOND. 25yrs later Damon and Elena are still going strong. They are meant to be. Or are they? DELENA.
1. Chapter 1

Summary: It's been 25 years since Elena and Damon left Mystic Falls. They have a strong relationship, nothing can break them. Until Stefan is released from the tomb and Heather comes back into town. The unbreakable couple suddenly has some cracks. They thought they were meant to be, maybe they were wrong.

Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries or the characters. This story is of my own invention.

A/N: I couldn't stay away. I am so excited to bring you the sequel to 'Breaking The Sire Bond' (if you haven't read that, you can probably get by without reading it but you should still go read it anyway!) as I feel I tried to develop this more and put more effort and energy into creating a chapter that wasn't short lived. I carefully concocted a 'script' for this entire story and hope that I can stick by it and do this justice.

On another note, while I enjoy constructive criticism I do not appreciate rude comments. I appreciate feedback of all sorts and love to hear you opinions. The way my story develops or my characters are written are just how I do it. I'm sorry if it isn't always the way you want it to be but fortunately this is my story.

So let's begin!

* * *

_One_

Elena sifted carelessly through the morning mail. Her eyes shifted to the wall sized window before her that overlooked a beautifully kept garden. The grass was greener than she'd ever seen it before and all the flowers were just starting to blossom. This time of year when the flowers started to show their buds and the grass was as green as ever was definitely Elena's favourite time of year. She smiled to herself at the picturesque view in front of her and wondered how she got so lucky? Her life was almost a fairytale, aside from the thirst for blood. She lived in a huge mansion with the most beautiful garden right at her doorstep, in a town just outside of Rome, not to mention her handsome and not in the least modest boyfriend, Damon. Elena had a life she never dreamed she would have. She always assumed that she'd grow up, go off to college only to come back to Mystic Falls and marry Matt Donovan, her childhood sweetheart. It wasn't a bad life, but her real life was so much better.

Just as she catapulted herself into the thought, a pair of strong, pale arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her close. Elena leant back into his chest and let her head fall to his shoulder. His breathtakingly, one-of-a-kind scent filled her nostrils immediately, sending her into a frenzy of arousal.

"Back so soon." Elena breathed.

"Was a quick breakfast." Damon smirked into her ear.

Elena didn't at all approve of Damon's occasional need for fresh, human blood but she wasn't prepared to ask him to stop. Damon had lived as a vampire for a very long time before they knew each other, living the way he wanted which included drinking from the vein. It was unfair of Elena to ask him not to do something he had done for a very long time just because she didn't like it. For the most part Damon drank from blood bags just like she did but the craving for sucking the blood from a freshly ripped open vein never ceased, especially for Damon. He had control over himself and his thirst but he still liked to indulge every now and then, it was something Elena didn't like but lived with.

"I can smell it on you." Elena moaned, the scent of fresh blood pouring into her nose.

At sixteen if Elena had said to herself that the smell of fresh blood on her boyfriend would turn her on, she probably would have vomited. But now when on the rare occasion Damon came home with blood on his shirt or a leftover drip in the corner of his mouth Elena could not help herself. Her panties grew wet at the delicious scent.

"It got a little messy." Damon growled into her ear.

He spun Elena around so quick that to the naked eye it would have looked like a blur. He crushed Elena to his body, gripping her hips in a way that seemed desperate and needy. Elena looked at his blood soaked shirt in front of her. Before she was a vampire the first thought that might have run through her mind would have been what happened or who did he hurt, but now all she could think about was how delicious the blood smelt and how much she wanted to taste it on her tongue and lick it from his lips. She ran a hand across his bloodied shirt, wiping a smudge of blood onto her finger. Elena brought the finger to her mouth as the veins under her eyes started to show themselves. In a seductive move her tongue lashed out to taste the red liquid and her lips closed around the tip of her finger.

Whoever Damon had sampled for breakfast had been delectable.

Damon, having enough of how incredibly sexy she was licking blood off her fingers grabbed her and flung them both into an opposing wall. A picture frame with a photo of Elena, Bonnie and Caroline fell to the floor and the glass shattered. It baffled both of them why they even bothered to put the pictures up when on a weekly basis they were sending them crashing to the floor with the force of their bodies slamming into the walls. With Elena's back to the wall Damon lifted one of her legs so it was over his hip, his hands caressed her bare thighs. Her sundress became ruffled around her hips, exposing her white panties and the wet spot from her arousal.

"You look so innocent in this dress." Damon smirked, running the fabric between his fingers. "It's deceiving."

Elena gasped as he ripped the fabric clean off her body, leaving her exposed in a white bra and her previously mentioned panties. It wasn't her intention to look as innocent as Damon proclaimed she looked but she had to admit Damon ripping the dress from her body turned her on more than she would have like to admit to him. He trailed kisses from her collar bone up her neck, his vampire teeth grazing the tender flesh. He knew how this effected Elena, so as her mouth struggled to form coherent words to approve of his movements, Damon smirked into her skin. Sending Elena into a pleasured state was not only his favourite task, but one he would happily take on for all of eternity.

Elena reached down between them to feel for his dick, she found him erect and waiting and wondered very briefly how he had managed to lose both his pants and underwear without her knowing. The thought was quickly pushed from her mind however as Damon thrusted himself into her hand, indicating that he wanted her to touch him. Damon may have been able to make Elena lose the ability to speak but Elena knew very well she had the same effect on him. As her hand clasped around the girth of his throbbing member Damon bit into her neck, causing Elena to squeeze him tighter. Both of them let out a hiss of pain/pleasure at each other's motions.

Damon retracted his teeth from Elena's neck and licked the blood from her already healed wound. He leaned into her body and let the intense pleasure of Elena stroking him overcome his body. Her tiny hand worked it's magic on him, rendering him speechless and motionless.

Elena whimpered at the loss of Damon's ministrations on her. Damon returned his hands on her body, snaking a hand up her thigh and delving it between her panties. His fingers slid along her wet slit, coating the tip of his fingers in her arousal. He flicked a finger over her swollen clit, Elena clamping her teeth down on her lip to stop herself from screaming. Enough was enough by both of their standards, Damon rubbed the head of his erection against Elena's entrance, begging to be let in, to be allowed to delve deep inside her warm, tight cavern of pleasure. It was not long before she allowed him his entry, her head lulling back as Damon dove inside her.

"Oh, Damon." Elena moaned, her hands grasping fistfuls of his dark hair.

Damon held onto her hip with one hand, the other still holding her leg over his hip. His movements were harsh, he thrusted with force inside her and didn't show her any mercy. He wasn't typically a selfish lover, he swayed more towards helping Elena reach several orgasms before he released his own but he felt that today was going to be different.

"Yes, yes! Fuck me. Oh fuck." Elena yelled.

Her pleasured cries sent waves through Damon. He loved knowing how much Elena loved to be fucked by him. Each cry of pleasure was like a pat on the back, spurring him on. Feeling his orgasm approaching fast Damon weaved a hand between them and began stimulating Elena's clit. He rubbed circles on the swollen bud of nerves, caressing it with his expertise. Damon felt the effects of his touch begin to take over Elena, her walls clamped around him and her hips started to gyrate to meet his thrusts. Wanting to bring Elena over the edge with himself he rubbed her faster and it was not long after that she was riding her high. Damon followed not a moment later, her orgasm spurring his on. He came inside her with a brute force, his seed coating her walls and filling her.

They both collapsed to the floor, Elena slumping into Damon's body.

"That was unexpected." Elena laughed.

"Isn't it always? Don't I _always_ bring you pleasure at the most unexpected of times?" Damon smirked back at her.

"Always." Elena smiled.

It was at that time that Elena's phone started to ring. Elena threw on Damon's shirt and ran to pick up her phone. Taking one look at the screen she saw Jeremy's name requesting to FaceTime and quickly accepted. After taking a moment Jeremy and Bonnie's faces popped up on the screen of Elena's iphone.

"Hey!" Elena said.

"Hey! How are you?" Bonnie responded.

"I'm good. How about you guys?" Elena asked.

Elena studied her brother and best friend's face. While Elena and Damon looked exactly the same as they had when they left Mystic Falls, Bonnie and Jeremy did not. But Elena supposed that's what happens when you're not immortal and twenty-five years passes.

"We're good. Just calling to see if you guys are still making the trip over this week?" Bonnie questioned.

"Yeah of course we are. Damon and I are so excited." Elena said.

"Let's not lie to them, Elena. _You're_ excited." Damon added, popping up in the screen next to Elena.

"Hi Damon." Jeremy said, but his tone was less happy than it had been with Elena.

Damon ignored Jeremy's greeting and went on to roll his eyes at Bonnie and Jeremy. Their phone call had interrupted a possible second round between he and Elena so Damon had every intention of making sure they knew it. He smirked at Elena, giving her a look. Elena furrowed her brows and then smiled, batting his arm. She knew that look.

"Uhm, guys we're still here." Bonnie interrupted.

"Sorry. Damon is being a jerk." Elena replied.

"Me? A jerk? Was I the one who called and interrupted us in the post-sex bliss?" Damon recalled.

"Okay, ew. That's my sister!" Jeremy yelled.

"Well, _Jer_, you're sister and I were in the middle of re-gaining our energy for round two before you two called." Damon retorted.

"Damon, stop!" Elena gawked, not approving of Damon's telling of their sex life.

"I've heard enough." Bonnie gagged. "You two can get back to doing whatever the hell it was you were going to do. We'll see you when you get here!"

"Okay, bye guys." Elena replied.

When the call was ended Elena shoved Damon in the chest, sending him toppling over the side of the sofa. Damon feigned injury.

"You are such a jerk." Elena told him.

"I was just telling them the truth. They _did_ interrupt us." Damon smirked.

"How do you know we were going to go for round two? Maybe I didn't feel like it." Elena replied, sticking her nose in the air.

Damon raced over to her and pulled her into his arms.

"Because you can't resist me." Damon growled before launching an assault on her body.

* * *

A/N: I hope that this first chapter was enticing! Let me know your thoughts.

Review, follow and favourite.


	2. Chapter 2

_Two_

Elena felt fingers tracing her thigh under the dinner table. She was trying to stay focused on the conversation but the familiar, gentle graze of Damon's fingertips was doing thing to her that she didn't want to succumb to right now. Her foot jutted on and kicked Damon's shin beside her, she hoped he would get the hint and stop with the teasing. She too had wanted to have a quickie before they had come over to Jeremy and Bonnie's but it was never quick with them. Sure, they meant for it to be and the first time would be. It'd be over in a few minutes with the right stimulation but neither of them could ever leave it at just that. So at the time it was much wiser to say no then to say yes.

Beside her Damon grimaced at her abuse but didn't retract his fingers. Elena stole a quick glance at him, warning him with her eyes that if he didn't stop he'd regret it later. But Damon didn't care, he was always up for a challenge. Bonnie continued to talk and Elena continued to try to listen, she didn't want to rude, she really was trying to pay attention.

After all it was the least she could do. Last time they had visited Elena had promised to visit more, especially as her nieces were growing up. But things had got so busy and honestly Elena found herself not really wanting to return. She had a great life back in Italy, a beautiful house, the world's greatest shopping and a supply of blood that wasn't suspicious. Coming back to Mystic Falls just seemed to remind Elena of all the bad things that had gone on in her life at one point or another. Her parents, Jenna, Alaric…and that thing with Stefan.

Her thoughts were interrupted when Damon's fingers grazed her inner thigh and dared to dip into her panties. Elena yelped unexpectedly and suddenly everyone at the table was staring at her.

"Are you okay?" Jeremy asked her, eyeing his sister suspiciously.

"Yeah fine. Damon just…kicked me." Elena said, flashing a smile at her brother and sister-in-law.

Neither her brother or Bonnie seemed to be convinced.

"So where's Lola and Olivia tonight?" Elena asked, referring to her two nieces.

In all honesty Lola and Olivia were most of Elena's reason for returning. It had been five years since she had seen them in person and she felt like she was being a bad Aunt. Not only that but as Elena was a vampire she could no longer bare children and it had been something Elena wanted back when she was human. To grow up, get married and have kids. It was off the table now and she had quickly realised that and accepted the fact that no one would ever call her mommy. But Lola and Olivia were very much like children of her own. She wanted to teach them things and talk to them about boys. Bonnie would always be their mom but Elena hoped that she could be a very close Aunt.

"Lola is on a date." Bonnie replied, wiggling her eyebrows.

Elena watched her brother's face grow red in anger. She knew Jeremy hated the idea of either of his daughter's dating but now that Lola was sixteen, she was going to date. It was a fact of life.

"No vampires I hope." Elena joked, but her joke did not go down well with her brother.

"Vampires, werewolves…they are BOTH off the table. Lola knows the rules." Jeremy told his sister.

"You got something against vampires, _Jer_?" Damon snorted.

"Yes. They are blood-sucking monsters. No offence Elena. But besides yourself and maybe Caroline, name me another vampire who is genuinely a nice person?" Jeremy asked.

Elena knew her brother was right. Most of the vampires Elena had ever known or come across were not really that nice. They all killed people for sport and thoroughly enjoyed it. There were very few vampires who didn't love sucking the life from someone.

"Stefan." Elena countered before she could think.

Damon's fists balled at the mention of his brother's name.

"I think you forget that my _brother_ kidnapped you, put your life at risk and is the one and only _ripper_." Damon said, the tone in his voice showing his anger

"_Was_ the ripper." Elena replied.

In the corner of Elena's eye she watched Jeremy and Bonnie exchange a look like neither of them wanted to be in the room for this conversation. Elena was not about to have an argument with Damon, especially over Stefan.

"Are you seriously defending him right now?" Damon scoffed.

"Are you seriously still holding a grudge? It's been twenty-five years, Damon." Elena responded.

"And he deserves every minute of desiccating misery for what he did. He put your life at risk Elena. I know you have a pretty bad track record for caring about your life being at risk, but _I_ care." Damon told her.

At the mention of his affection Elena's mild anger seemed to dissipate. It wasn't worth fighting over. Elena rolled her eyes and placed a soft kiss against Damon's jaw. She knew his reasons for hating Stefan and to an extent Elena hated him too. But she also knew that Stefan was a good person, he just had trouble controlling the part of him that wasn't and that wasn't his fault. Yes, he did the wrong thing but he was paying his dues in the tomb under Fell's church and had been for twenty five years.

"Speaking of Stefan…" Bonnie carefully said. "Don't you think it might be time to let him out?"

Elena regretted the moment Bonnie spoke. She was opening a can of worms nobody wanted to deal with.

"Sure Bonnie, let us free Stefan and wait for him to yet again kidnap Elena and starve her into submission." Damon snapped.

"He has to be let out sometime. I don't see why now couldn't be a good time. He's missed out on so much already." Bonnie replied, equally as snappy.

"That's the thing about being _immortal_, you have time." Damon said.

Elena decided it was time to interject. She didn't want Damon ripping Bonnie's throat out (not that Bonnie couldn't stop him) nor did she particularly want to go home with Damon in a bad mood.

"Stop it. Damon I think it's time to go. Thank you for dinner, Bon." Elena said, hugging her best friend.

Damon didn't bother with a goodbye. As he walked out the door Elena pulled back from her best friend.

"I'll talk to him about Stefan. I think it's time he comes back to the real world too." Elena told Bonnie.

Elena followed Damon into the boarding house. He was in one of those moods that Elena hated. He was impossible to talk to like this. She cringed as she heard something glass shatter against a wall.

"Damon would you calm down?" Elena yelled.

"Calm down!? No, I will not calm down. Was this whole trip a plan for Stefan's release?" Damon questioned accusingly.

Elena almost couldn't believe his accusation. If she wanted Stefan free (which by this point she really didn't care) she would have just told Bonnie to do it. She didn't need to fly herself and Damon halfway around the world for it. How could he think that?

"You're being such a jerk right now." Elena told him.

"I'm sorry that the very idea of my brother's freedom sets me off." Damon replied with sarcasm.

"No you're not." Elena scoffed.

"You're right, I'm not even the least bit sorry. After what he did, I don't know how anyone who cares about you could be considering his release. I should have killed him when I had the chance." Damon growled.

A smirk appeared on Elena's face. She hated to admit it but Damon's defensive nature about her turned her on. It was so sexy watching him get so angry about her well being. Not that she would intentionally evoke those emotions in him.

"You know, you're incredibly hot when you're this angry." Elena giggled.

At her words it was like Damon's anger melted away. His face turned from stern to loving to lust. His angry dark eyes softened to their natural sparkling blue. He sped over to her and pinned her between himself and a wall. Even though he was still angry about the Stefan situation, Damon couldn't deny he wanted her. He would never deny that. After all the time and effort it took getting her, Damon was never going to let anything get between them. He never wanted to lose her, but especially over something as trivial as his brother's eventual release. Damon pushed the issue to the back of his mind as he focused on Elena.

"You're incredibly sexy all the time." Damon growled lowly, nipping at her neck.

"What was that under the table tonight?" Elena all of a sudden asked.

Damon smirked into her soft skin. "I told you I wasn't sure if I'd be able to hold off till we got home."

"Well, that was _very_ naughty of you. What if my brother caught on? Or Bonnie?" Elena gasped as Damon scraped her skin with his vampire teeth.

Damon pushed his body hard up against hers, letting her feel his hardened dick. He was not shy about letting her know what he wanted and how badly he wanted it and tonight would be no different. Damon always had a hard time resisting her, but especially when she looked as hot as she had tonight. It was a rare occasion where Elena dressed up and actually managed to make it out the door before Damon had ripped all her clothes off.

"I didn't care. I was prepared to fuck you right there and then." Damon whispered.

"And now…?" Elena breathed.

Elena felt Damon's lips turn up against her neck. He was deliciously evil and it was always going to be one of the things Elena loved most about Damon. Matt had been mediocre and a bore in bed, but that wasn't his fault. Stefan had been good but their sex after awhile became mundane and routine and although she always enjoyed it, it was never like having sex with Damon. Every time was bliss.

"And now I'm going to make up for lost time." Damon said.

As soon as the words left his mouth he tore Elena's dress from her body and spun her around so fast Elena was left dazed. Her breasts were hard up against the wall and Damon's crotch was pressing suggestively against her panty covered ass. She loved how aggressive and in control he was in their intimate moments. Even though she never cared to admit how much she loved being dominated by him, the truth was she really did love it.

Damon rubbed himself against her, a groan escaping his parted lips. His forearm held her firmly against the wall. With his other free arm Damon removed her panties but left her bra on, there was something so debauched about Elena pushed up against the wall, her ass out for show but her breasts still covered in their confines. Her lovely long locks cascaded down her back but it wasn't long before Damon roughly pushed them aside to run kisses up her back.

Elena was having a hard time controlling herself. She wanted to be fucked right now. This was not one of those times where she wanted Damon to caress her and love her gently.

"Please." Elena begged, sticking her ass out further.

"You want it don't you?" Damon asked, his cock sliding out to rub against the crack of her ass.

"Yes." Elena gasped.

"Tell me then. Tell me you want it." Damon grunted.

"Please Damon. I want you inside me." Elena whimpered.

Damon didn't want to prolong their pleasure any longer. He rubbed the tip of his dick against her entrance and then slowly slid inside her, letting her walls adjust to his girth for a second or two. No matter how long it had been or how many times they had fucked, Elena was always as tight as the first time. Her warmth captured him and begged him to please her in ways only he knew how. Every spot on or in her body that left Elena panting, Damon knew. He had explored every inch of her body at one time or another and knew all the places to make her moan.

"Oh God." Elena moaned.

Damon's entire length was inside her now but he was not moving and the suspense was killing her. She just wanted him to thrust and fuck her over and over until she couldn't take it no more. Feeling like maybe she should take matters into her own hands Elena gyrated her hips slightly back against Damon. She felt Damon's body quiver behind her. Elena knew what she was doing to him. He loved her being in control just as much as she loved him being in control.

"Let's take this to the bedroom." Elena said.

As much as it pained the both of them Damon slid out of Elena and they raced to Damon's bedroom. Damon waited for Elena to position herself on the bed so he could slide right back in but she never did. He saw the look in her eye and smirked to himself. He shrugged his shoulders and laid on the bed, waiting for her next move.

Elena sauntered over to him and crawled on to the bed, every second that she got closer Damon could feel his cock twitching in anticipation. His dick was already glistening from previously being inside her but that wasn't enough. He needed more. He wanted more. He got more. Elena positioned herself over him and then impaled herself on to him, letting him settle inside her before she began a slow, even pace atop him.

"Fuck." Damon growled, his fingertips digging into her hips.

The earlier argument was barely present in either of their minds at this point. It was probably crazy to some couples that Elena and Damon could go from argument to sex in a matter of seconds but it happened often. They both had fiery personalities. Elena stubbornness to not be told what to do and Damon's stubbornness to always get what he wanted, well it made from some very interesting nights. It kind of kept their relationship alive though, Elena thought. Being able to yell and scream about all sorts of things and then be underneath him a moment later, it was electrifying.

"Just like that." Damon told her, letting Elena work her hips on top of him.

Elena made circles with her hips, guiding herself up and down him.

"Don't…stop…" Damon moaned, feeling his release approaching.

Elena smirked at his remark. She absolutely loved being able to bring Damon to a point where he was panting for it. Damon was such a hard person to please ordinarily, a man of years of experience both in life and sex, Elena never thought for one second she would be able to reduce Damon to inaudible sounds in the bedroom.

"You gonna cum baby?" Damon asked, holding off his orgasm for a moment longer.

"Mhmmm." Elena replied, knowing her finish was close too.

"Do it baby. Cum for me." Damon instructed in a sultry tone.

Damon let Elena take complete control over both their bodies. She rode him at a pace that was comfortable for her but was just as good for him. He felt her walls starting to tighten and as soon as her body started to spasm into a bliss Damon couldn't hold off. He shot his seed inside her, letting out a loud cry of cuss words and jumbled words as he reached his peak. For him, there was nothing like stumbling into that special orgasm state with Elena. No girl compared, no sex compared. Nothing compared. It was probably because he loved her and that meant something but whatever it was Damon knew he wouldn't ever be able to live without it now.

Coming down from her orgasm Elena rolled over to lay beside Damon.

After quite a few minutes of post-sex cuddles, Elena turned to face Damon.

"About Stefan…" Elena began.

Damon groaned.

"It's not that I _want_ him out. I mean, I want to give him a chance, you know? I think he deserves that." Elena whispered.

"I think we have a difference of opinion on that one." Damon replied.

"What about we get Bonnie to open the door, but so he can't get out? Maybe if you talk to him…or I talk to him, we can see what happens." Elena said.

Damon wanted nothing more than to not be having this conversation. But he knew that Elena was not going to drop it.

"Fine. I'll talk to him. But I'm not promising that afterwards I'll agree to a release." Damon told Elena.

* * *

A/N: Just wanted to say a huge thank you for the response I got on the first chapter. I hope that this chapter lives up to any expectations you might have.

I also wanted to add that due to the fact I am trying to improve my writing (writing longer chapters, going into more detail, character development) these chapters are probably going to take longer than they might have normally. I used to update quite a but on Breaking The Sire Bond and that was mostly due to having written way, way, way ahead. This time I'm not doing that. So if I take a week or two to update (which hopefully I won't all the time) I'm sorry.

Review, follow and favourite.


	3. Chapter 3

_Three_

Damon hated the very idea of Stefan being anywhere other than inside the tomb under Fell's church. The thought made his skin crawl. How could everyone forgive and forget so easily? Elena had been put in danger more times than Damon could count by numerous people and although Stefan might have been the last person on Earth anyone would have expected to directly put Elena at risk, he had and that was enough for Damon to want Stefan in that tomb for eternity. While on one hand he was thankful Elena had stopped him from ripping Stefan's heart out (the unrelenting guilt from killing his own brother would have drove him insane), on the other hand he had regrets. If he had just killed Stefan then and there he wouldn't be dealing with this situation right now. The love of his life and beautiful girlfriend pleading a release for a person Damon didn't care to release. He wanted to give Elena the benefit of the doubt but Damon had known his brother longer (obviously), Stefan had a pattern. On the rails, off the rails, on the rails and off again. If Damon agreed to a release (which he was pretty sure he wasn't going to) who's to say Stefan, in another fifty years wouldn't come after Elena again?

His opinion didn't seem to matter all that much. Bonnie and Jeremy both agreed that Stefan deserved at the very least some interaction, even Caroline and Klaus who were half way around the world at that time had agreed that Stefan had payed his dues. Damon was much harder to convince. These people supposedly loved Elena and wanted to protect her but Damon couldn't see how letting Stefan out was 'protecting' her. Damon kept seeing hypothetical situations. Stefan being kind and sweet to get released and then Elena going missing all over again at the hands of Stefan. He knew the situation was unlikely (because he'd be there to keep her safe of course), but unlikely wasn't impossible and really it wasn't enough for Damon to think Elena could be safe with Stefan back.

None the less he followed Elena, Bonnie and Jeremy under Fell's church. He portrayed the sulking child that he sometimes could be. He partly hoped that his attitude towards being there might have made Elena re-think the whole situation but she barely paid any mind to Damon's attitude.

"Just so we are all clear on how this is going to work…" Damon began, "Bonnie opens the door, I go in, talk to Stefan and then _I _decide if he warrants a release."

Bonnie and Jeremy kept their mouths shut. As much as they were both of the side of letting Stefan out, neither of them really wanted to argue with Damon about how this was going to work.

"You think you just get to make all the decisions?" Elena scoffed.

"Yes. When it comes to your safety. You are notorious for putting yourself at risk, my dear." Damon smirked.

"I think I should talk to him too. I'll go in there with you." Elena said.

"No. No way." Damon replied, shaking his head.

"Why not?" Elena snapped.

"Because who knows what he's going to be like. He's not going to be fully desiccated, you know? It's only been twenty-five years, he might still have some strength. What if he catches you by surprise? I'm not taking that chance. I'll go in and talk him and if I feel like he has changed then I'll bring him to the front of the passage and you can talk to him without entering the tomb." Damon told her.

Elena and Damon stared each other down. They were both stubborn and always thought they were right. Bonnie and Jeremy had to agree with Damon on this one however. No one really knew what Stefan was going to be like. He could be completely calm and docile or on the other end of the spectrum. The best thing was for Elena to stay outside the passage where she could be kept safe.

"I agree with Damon. You'll be safer outside the tomb. I can temporarily open the passage way, enough for Damon to go in but it will take me some time to open it back up to let him out. I don't want to risk you getting stuck inside that tomb if Stefan is still not himself." Bonnie admitted.

"Oh but you'll happily risk my life?" Damon scowled.

Bonnie flashed Damon a smirk of a smile.

"Okay, let's do this." Bonnie said.

Damon waited impatiently at the entrance to the tomb, tapping his feet as Bonnie chanted her spell. Being as powerful as she was these Days, Damon could hardly understand why this was taking her so long or why she was going to have trouble opening it back up to let him out. It wasn't a risk he _wanted_ to take but he feared if he did not take it, Elena would go behind his back with Bonnie and enter on her own. He'd rather risk his own life than have her risking hers

"It's done. Quick." Bonnie said, her eyes shut.

Damon slipped through the doorway, holding a torch in one hand. He had almost forgotten how eery and dark the tomb was. He remembered when he had come inside to find Katherine, now that was a memory he'd love to forget. The hopefulness of seeing her face among the tomb of forgotten vampires and then the crushing disappointment when he realised it had all been a lie to get Klaus off her tail. He shook his head, willing the horrible thought of how desperately he loved Katherine away. He ventured deep within the tomb, searching for any sign of a body. As he got further into the tomb Damon couldn't help but hope that he wouldn't find Stefan at all. Unfortunately though as Damon neared the end of the tomb his torch shone on a body slumped on the floor.

Stefan was covered in cobwebs and his skin had shrivelled and dried up. It was nothing compared to how the tomb vampires had looked when he had found them, but it was also shocking to see his brother in such a state. Stefan groaned at the flash of light that crossed his face. Damon tried to imagine what twenty-five years of starvation felt like, but he couldn't. At that moment he felt sorry for his brother, being locked up all that time all because he loved a girl too much. Damon knew that he had been very close himself at times to turning into Stefan, loving Elena so much that sometimes he just wanted to kidnap her and lock her up until she admitted her love for him. But he had more self-control then Stefan and that was why, Stefan was here and Damon got the girl.

"Hello brother." Damon announced, creeping closer to his brother's body.

Stefan let out another groan.

"I came to discuss a release." Damon said, crouching down so he could look at Stefan's face properly.

"_Please_." Stefan rasped, the obvious dryness in his throat.

"Blood? Sorry, I didn't bring any with me. I'd offer you some of mine but I'm afraid until I know exactly how you're going to react, you'll have to continue to starve." Damon shrugged.

This time Damon got no reaction. He knew in order to find out how his brother was really doing he would have to bait him. If Stefan reacted badly then he would stay put and Damon wouldn't even bother dragging him to the passage entrance to see Elena. Nope. Damon decided the moment he entered the tomb that he didn't particularly care what Elena wanted. Damon loved Elena and there was no way in hell he was going to even think about Stefan's release if he felt the tiniest hint that Elena's life might be in danger. Whether the three out there knew it or not, this decision was solely up to Damon.

"Elena and I are together now. Yeah, after I _rescued_ her, we made up and we've been together since. Oh, just in case you're wondering, it's been about twenty five years." Damon sighed.

"I'm…happy…for…you." Stefan managed to say through dry cracked lips.

"Really? See, I don't believe that. I think you're really not that happy with it. You love her don't you? Don't you want her to love you too?" Damon prodded, waiting for the reaction he was pretty sure he'd get.

"I want…her…to be…happy." Stefan replied.

Damon cocked an eyebrow. "Oh she is happy, Stefan. With me."

"I want you…to be…happy too." He coughed.

That statement surprised Damon a little. He fully expected Stefan to react in a bad way. He had expected Stefan to want to punch him out but he had received the total opposite. Stefan really did seem legitimately happy for both him and Elena and their relationship. But Damon was still skeptical. He put himself in Stefan's shoes. If he had been desiccating for twenty-five years without a drop of blood, human or animal, he'd be willing to say or do anything to get out and feed. Maybe that was Stefan's objective, act the nice guy until he stepped a foot out of the tomb and then tear into someone or something and kidnap Elena again. Was he thinking it over too much? Possibly. Damon had always been the conniving, cunning vampire of the two where Stefan (for the most part) had been nothing but honest and kind.

As much as Damon wanted to turn his back and leave his brother behind he knew that he'd continue to think about whether he was wrong about Stefan if he did leave him there. He roughly grabbed Stefan by his shirt (which at this point was ragged) and began to drag him towards the passage way entrance. Stefan barely even moved an inch which just made him dead weight. Not that it bothered Damon too much, he was a vampire after all.

As long as Elena stayed behind the invisible wall she would be safe. Damon had to keep telling himself that. What if he was making a huge mistake? No. He wasn't. At the very least Damon was just taking Stefan to speak to Elena, maybe she could stir something up inside of him that Damon could not. Maybe Stefan needed to see her in order to have the reaction Damon had thought he'd get out of him.

Damon reached the entrance, the light filtering down from above ground. He slumped Stefan against the rocky wall. Elena ran over to the invisible wall without trying to enter.

"Is he…?" Elena began.

"Conscious? Yes." Damon replied.

"Stefan? It's me…it's Elena." Elena said.

Stefan's head rose a few inches to look at her.

"Hi." Elena added, smiling at the soft eyes she once knew so well.

Stefan only smiled in response.

Elena stuck her hand in her pocket and pulled out a vile of blood. It would be enough for Stefan to regain some movement but hopefully not enough for him to do anything more than talk. She rolled the vile along the floor until it hit Stefan in the leg. Slowly and painfully Stefan took the vile and gulped down the small amount of blood. Elena hoped the animal blood tasted nice although she was sure after this long any kind of blood would taste good to him. After a moments silence Stefan moved to sit up straighter.

"Thank you." He said, dropping the vile on the ground.

Elena smiled. "You're welcome."

"She's amazing isn't she?" Damon smirked.

Stefan nodded. "She is. I'm happy that you're happy Damon and if that is with Elena than I have to be okay with that. I know what I did was horrible and I'm sorry for all of it. I don't know what happened to me but I've had a lot of time to reflect and all I can say is that I'm sorry. I know now that just because Elena doesn't love me, doesn't mean I can't be happy. I'm sure I'll always love you, Elena but you're with Damon and as long as you love him back and you're happy, that's all I want." Stefan replied.

"So you don't care?" Elena asked.

"I care. Of course I care. But there is nothing I can do about it. You love him. That is how it is. One day I'm sure I'l find someone who loves me and who I love just as much if not more than I love you. You are happy, Elena and you make Damon happy and I guess, I probably couldn't ask for more from the situation." Stefan told her.

Damon kind of hated how Stefan felt. He wanted Stefan to be jealous and angry so he could throw him back in the tomb and never revisit the idea of his release again. But now that Elena had spoken to Stefan he was sure that this was going to result in Stefan's freedom. Nobody was going to argue that Stefan seemed like he had come to terms with everything and that he was sorry.

"Bon? Jer?" Elena asked, turning to ask her brother and Bonnie's opinions.

They both gave her wide grins of approval. Elena then looked to Damon.

"You know how I feel about this." Damon stated.

"I know." Elena replied.

"But I trust you and if you feel like this is the time, then I guess it is." Damon shrugged.

Bonnie began her chanting and after half an hour of intense chanting and concentration the invisible wall had been lifted and Stefan took his first few steps outside the tomb in twenty-five years. Damon watched as Elena wrapped her arms around Stefan in a hug. He wanted not to be jealous but he couldn't help it. He knew Elena didn't feel that way about Stefan but it didn't mean Damon felt anymore comfortable about her being near Stefan. Damon knew he wasn't her second choice, but the fact that Stefan had her first had always kind of rubbed Damon the wrong way. Stefan broke the hug between him and Elena and then moved to his brother. Damon wore a tight smile as he hugged Stefan.

"Welcome back brother."

* * *

A/N: Hi! Sorry it has been soooo long. It feels like months. I've been super busy and then I got sick and you know how it is when you're sick. I've also had a little writer's block (downside of not writing chapters ahead). Thank you for all the kind reviews on the last chapter and I hope that I can get the next chapter to you quicker than this one.

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